Chapter Summaries

Haotian and Yaochi celebrated Gu Changqing’s apparent enlistment, but Hongjun erased his name from the Investiture of the Gods List because he was Sage-level. Hongjun then restricted the list to exclude Sages while demanding that all other members of the Saints’ Lineages, including Vice Sect Leaders, enter it, leaving Tongtian to face Hongjun’s apparent plan against the Interception Sect.

• Haotian and Yaochi believed Gu Changqing had signed the Investiture of the Gods List and would serve the Heavenly Court.
• Hongjun declared that Gu Changqing could not enter the list because his Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal rank made him equivalent to a Sage, then erased Gu Changqing’s name.
• Gu Changqing protested that he had willingly entered the list, but Hongjun insisted that the Heavenly Dao’s decree barred Sage-level beings.
• Hongjun placed a restriction on the list preventing Sages from entering and ordered every other member of the Saints’ Lineages, including Vice Sect Leaders, to enter.
• Tongtian realized Hongjun was targeting Ancestor Hong Yun and the Interception Sect, as the Investiture of the Gods List began changing again.

Hongjun began the Investiture of the Gods Measureless Calamity by binding the Interception Sect, humanity, and the Netherworld to the list. Tongtian left the Heavenly Court with Gu Changqing, Houtu, and Nuwa, while Hongjun dismissed Haotian’s hope of controlling Gu Changqing.

• The Investiture of the Gods List released divine radiance across the Three Realms, imposing karmic connections on the Interception Sect and drawing humanity and the Netherworld into the calamity.
• Ancestor Hong Yun recognized that the Profound Gate would target the Interception Sect’s strongest members, and Zhen Yuanzi pledged to stand by him and the sect.
• Tongtian, Houtu, and Nuwa realized Hongjun had forced their realms and disciples onto the list, while Hongjun declared the calamity begun and ordered everyone to disperse.
• Tongtian departed with Gu Changqing, Houtu, and Nuwa, and Gu Changqing complained that the meeting had cut into his drinking time.
• Haotian asked why Hongjun had spared Gu Changqing, and Hongjun replied that Haotian and the Four Saints could not control him.

Hongjun rejected Haotian's proposal to place Gu Changqing on the Investiture of the Gods List and instructed the Four Saints to guide the calamity without disrupting its course. He identified Shi Ji as the first destined sacrifice, while Gu Changqing arrived at her cave on Skull Mountain.

• Hongjun dismissed Haotian's request, reasoning that Gu Changqing could not be controlled by the Heavenly Court.
• Hongjun considered using humanity to change Nuwa's allegiance and warned the Four Saints to monitor the Human World Realm as the calamity unfolded.
• Hongjun told the Four Saints that karmic ties would bring those destined for the calamity together and that they should guide events rather than force them.
• Hongjun deduced that Shi Ji, an outer sect disciple of the Interception Sect, would be the first sacrificed to the calamity.
• Tongtian returned to the Interception Sect with Gu Changqing and warned its disciples to act cautiously, while Gu Changqing wandered Golden Ao Island drinking.
• Gu Changqing arrived at Shi Ji's White Bone Cave on Skull Mountain, and Shi Ji sensed Senior Brother Wine Sword Immortal outside.

Gu Changqing visited Shi Ji’s Skull Mountain White Bone Cave while drunk and advised her to face the measureless calamity by holding to the Interception Sect doctrine. Before leaving, he gave her a jar of wine to drink only in a great crisis.

• Shi Ji was delighted when Gu Changqing arrived and respectfully asked why he had come.
• Gu Changqing said he had wandered into her cave by accident because he was drunk.
• Shi Ji asked Gu Changqing for guidance on surviving the measureless calamity, worried that her cultivation was too weak.
• Gu Changqing told Shi Ji to follow the Interception Sect doctrine, hold true to her heart, and follow the Dao rather than fear the calamity.
• Gu Changqing gave Shi Ji a jar of fine wine and warned her to drink it only when she faced a great crisis, then departed.

Gu Changqing anticipated that Yuanshi would set Nezha against Shi Ji to begin the Investiture of the Gods calamity, while Yuanshi secretly empowered Nezha to shoot the Xuanyuan Bow. The arrow flew toward Skull Mountain, and Gu Changqing sensed Yuanshi’s scheme as it began.

• Gu Changqing recalled that Nezha would shoot Shi Ji’s attendant and planned to use the calamity to turn the Profound Gate’s scheme against them.
• Yuanshi pondered Hongjun’s instructions, then sensed Nezha at Chentang Pass and decided to guide him toward Shi Ji.
• Yuanshi secretly sent a strand of magic power into Nezha’s sea of consciousness, making him able to draw the Xuanyuan Bow.
• Nezha loosed an arrow from the bow, and it flew toward Skull Mountain.
• Gu Changqing sensed the arrow and realized Yuanshi had acted sooner than expected.

After Caiyun Boy was killed by Nezha’s arrow, Shi Ji confronted Nezha at Chentang Pass and fought him when he refused to repent. Just as Shi Ji struck at him, Taiyi Zhenren intervened with a thunderous shout.

• Gu Changqing watched Caiyun Boy die at Skull Mountain and judged that the calamity’s events could not be changed.
• Shi Ji traced the arrow to Nezha, then flew to Chentang Pass to demand an explanation.
• Nezha admitted firing the arrow but dismissed Caiyun Boy’s death as bad luck, provoking Shi Ji.
• Nezha attacked Shi Ji with the Universe Ring and Sky-Rending Silk, but she easily blocked both weapons.
• Nezha called for Taiyi Zhenren as Shi Ji launched a powerful palm strike at him.
• Taiyi Zhenren suddenly shouted for Shi Ji to stop.

Shi Ji confronted Taiyi Zhenren at Chentang Pass over Nezha killing her attendant, while Taiyi dismissed her demands and defended his disciple. Duobao and the other Interception Sect disciples set out to join the conflict after Gu Changqing headed there, and Shi Ji launched another attack.

• Taiyi Zhenren arrived at Chentang Pass and blasted Shi Ji backward with his divine art.
• The disciples on Golden Ao Island learned that Nezha had killed Shi Ji’s attendant, and Duobao, Jin Ling, Wudang, and Zhao Gongming prepared to aid her.
• Gu Changqing joined them and traveled ahead to Chentang Pass, prompting Duobao and the others to follow.
• Shi Ji demanded that Taiyi hand Nezha over, but Taiyi claimed Nezha had followed heaven’s will and refused to punish him.
• Shi Ji attacked Taiyi Zhenren again after he mocked her and defended Nezha.

Shi Ji fought Taiyi Zhenren at Chentang Pass but was swiftly overwhelmed by his power. As Gu Changqing watched without intervening, Shi Ji produced a jar of wine and warned that neither Taiyi nor his disciple would leave.

• Onlookers reacted to Shi Ji challenging Taiyi Zhenren, while Bixiao wanted to help and Gu Changqing insisted they watch; Zhao Gongming persuaded the others to wait.
• Shi Ji attacked Taiyi Zhenren with the Sword Dao Divine Ability “Sword Qi Rolls Dragon Wall,” and Gu Changqing judged that her technique was beginning to take shape.
• Taiyi Zhenren broke through Shi Ji’s sword attack with a palm strike and hurled her ten thousand miles away.
• Gu Changqing continued drinking and murmured that the time would come, leaving Duobao and the others puzzled.
• Shi Ji warned Taiyi Zhenren that neither he nor his disciple would leave, then produced a jar of fine wine.

Shi Ji drank Gu Changqing’s wine, recovered from her injuries, and surged from the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm toward Quasi-Saint strength, turning the battle against Taiyi Zhenren. She trapped him in her Wind and Snow Send Guanyin West technique and launched a decisive sword strike, leaving the outcome unclear.

• Taiyi Zhenren dismissed Shi Ji’s wine, but she drank the entire jar and healed her injuries as her strength surged to the peak Daluo Golden Immortal realm and neared the Quasi-Saint realm.
• Shi Ji attacked Taiyi Zhenren, forcing him to struggle against her newfound power while the onlookers watched in shock.
• Duobao praised Gu Changqing for seemingly foreseeing the turn of events, and Gu Changqing glanced toward Zixiao Palace as he spoke of destiny.
• Shi Ji unleashed the fifth form of the Nine Sword Divine Ability, Wind and Snow Send Guanyin West, trapping Taiyi Zhenren in a deadly blizzard of sword qi.
• Taiyi Zhenren’s defenses faltered under the blizzard, and Shi Ji sprang forward with a radiant sword strike that appeared to freeze the battlefield.

Shi Ji defeated Taiyi Zhenren after drinking Gu Changqing’s Sword Dao wine, but hesitated to kill a Sage’s disciple. Gu Changqing urged her to repay blood with blood, and she launched another attack as Yuanshi hurried to intervene.

• Yuanshi recognized Gu Changqing’s intervention in Shi Ji’s power and set out for Chentang Pass to save Taiyi Zhenren.
• The battlefield’s sword light faded to reveal Taiyi Zhenren badly wounded and Shi Ji still standing, prompting the watching cultivators to marvel at her victory.
• Taiyi Zhenren flew into a rage and vowed that only one of them would leave alive.
• Shi Ji hesitated to kill a Sage’s personal disciple and looked to Gu Changqing for guidance.
• Gu Changqing told Shi Ji that a debt of blood must be repaid, and she thrust her sword at Taiyi Zhenren again.

Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi arrived at Chentang Pass and stopped Shi Ji from killing Taiyi Zhenren, but Gu Changqing countered Yuanshi’s attack and denied interfering in the conflict. Gu Changqing then questioned how Nezha’s arrow had pierced the Interception Sect’s protective formation, turning suspicion toward Yuanshi and the Chan Sect.

• Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi appeared and dissolved Shi Ji’s sword strike before it could kill Taiyi Zhenren.
• Yuanshi attacked Shi Ji, but Gu Changqing used the Wine God Gourd to destroy his attack.
• Yuanshi accused Gu Changqing of defying heaven’s will and interfering in the Measureless Calamity, while Gu Changqing denied taking part.
• Gu Changqing pointed out that Nezha’s arrow had crossed the Interception Sect’s protective formation to kill Caiyun Boy on Skull Mountain.
• Duobao, Jin Ling, the Three Xiao, Shi Ji, and the others reconsidered the incident and turned their attention toward Yuanshi.

Gu Changqing challenged Yuanshi over Caiyun Boy’s death and suggested that Taiyi Zhenren had secretly aided Nezha. Unable to maintain his denial, Yuanshi accused Taiyi of acting behind his back, leaving Taiyi stunned as the crowd realized he was being made to take the blame.

• Gu Changqing questioned Yuanshi’s claim that Nezha’s fortune let him bypass the Interception Sect’s protective formation and argued that Caiyun Boy’s death might have been bait to lure Shi Ji to Chentang Pass.
• Duobao and the other Interception Sect disciples agreed that someone behind Nezha might have plotted against Shi Ji and the sect.
• Gu Changqing implied that Taiyi Zhenren had secretly helped Nezha, while Yuanshi denied the accusation and demanded that Gu Changqing stop pressing the matter.
• Gu Changqing insisted that the Chan Sect should welcome an investigation if it was innocent, and Yuanshi weighed the risk of letting the dispute continue.
• Yuanshi accused Taiyi Zhenren of provoking the dispute behind his back and demanded that he acknowledge his guilt, leaving Taiyi bewildered.

Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi silenced Gu Changqing’s attempt to divine what happened and punished Taiyi Zhenren for a crime he had not committed, concealing his own role in the affair. Yuanshi left with Taiyi, while the gathered experts began to suspect that Taiyi had been framed.

• Taiyi Zhenren denied helping Nezha and accused Gu Changqing of misleading Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi.
• Gu Changqing pretended to reconsider Taiyi’s guilt and began preparing to divine the truth, alarming Yuanshi.
• Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi stopped Gu Changqing and sentenced Taiyi to lose ten thousand years of cultivation and face the wall for ten thousand years.
• Yuanshi stripped Taiyi of his cultivation and departed with him after Gu Changqing accepted the resolution.
• The gathered experts questioned Yuanshi’s handling of the case and suspected that Taiyi might have been innocent.

Gu Changqing helped Shi Ji survive Taiyi Zhenren’s attack and exposed Yuanshi’s plot, though Yuanshi arrived before Taiyi could be killed. Back at Biyou Palace, Gu Changqing told Tongtian he had turned Yuanshi’s methods against him and intended to throw the Chan Sect into chaos.

• Gu Changqing realized Yuanshi’s swift intervention made killing Taiyi Zhenren impossible, while Shi Ji thanked him for protecting her.
• Gu Changqing advised Shi Ji to remain on Skull Mountain, and they returned to the Interception Sect.
• Shi Ji told the gathered disciples that Gu Changqing’s fine wine had enabled her to challenge Taiyi Zhenren, exciting them with its power.
• Gu Changqing disappeared from the disciples and went to Biyou Palace, where Tongtian teased him for forcing Yuanshi to take responsibility for Taiyi Zhenren.
• Gu Changqing told Tongtian he had turned Yuanshi’s methods against him and planned to bring chaos to the Chan Sect.

Gu Changqing’s scheme humiliated Yuanshi and drove a wedge between him and Taiyi Zhenren, prompting Yuanshi to seek a way to kill Gu Changqing. Yuanshi arrived at Zixiao Palace and urged Hongjun to eliminate Gu Changqing so the Investiture of the Gods Measureless Calamity could proceed.

• Tongtian realized Gu Changqing had used Taiyi Zhenren’s punishment to sow resentment between Taiyi Zhenren and Yuanshi.
• Yuanshi returned to the Jade Void Palace, raged over Gu Changqing’s scheme, and gave Taiyi Zhenren three Yellow Central Plum fruits as compensation.
• Guangchengzi and Chijingzi warned Yuanshi that Gu Changqing’s methods threatened the Chan Sect, and Yuanshi concluded they needed a chaos supreme treasure to defeat him.
• Yuanshi remembered the Chaos Bead in the Elder of Chaos’s possession and decided to seek help from Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos.
• Yuanshi arrived at Zixiao Palace and urged Hongjun to kill Gu Changqing so the Investiture of the Gods Measureless Calamity could continue.

Yuanshi persuaded Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos to lend him the Chaos Bead so the Four Saints could trap and kill Gu Changqing. As Yuanshi left to gather the other Saints, Gu Changqing pondered the remaining shortcomings of his Saint-Slaying Method.

• Yuanshi asked the Elder of Chaos to lend him the Chaos Bead, arguing that it could isolate Gu Changqing from Nuwa and Houtu’s protection.
• The Elder of Chaos questioned why Yuanshi should wield the treasure himself, but Yuanshi explained that the Four Saints could lure Gu Changqing into a trap without making him wary.
• Hongjun approved the plan, and the Elder of Chaos reluctantly let Yuanshi merge a strand of divine sense with the Chaos Bead to control it temporarily.
• Yuanshi departed to find Laozi, Jieyin, and Zhunti and plot Gu Changqing’s death with them.
• In the Interception Sect, Gu Changqing drank wine and considered how the Saint-Slaying Method still lacked some profundity.

Gu Changqing tried to perfect the Saint-Slaying Method by combining it with the Great Dao of Reincarnation. His attempt produced a terrifying power of annihilation, but it faded before he could complete the method.

• Gu Changqing reasoned that the Primordial World's rules made it difficult to destroy a Sage's Dao Fruit and considered using reincarnation to overcome the obstacle.
• Gu Changqing drew his sword and began merging the Dao of Reincarnation with his Sword Dao as Jie Sect Disciples watched.
• The disciples struggled to comprehend Gu Changqing's strange display, and Ancestor Hong Yun speculated that he was creating a new divine ability.
• Tongtian recognized that Gu Changqing was studying the Saint-Slaying Method and anticipated the upheaval it might cause if he succeeded.
• Gu Changqing's aura suddenly dissipated, and he lamented that his attempt was still not enough.

Gu Changqing’s attempt to fuse reincarnation with swordsmanship fell short of killing a Saint, so Tongtian advised him to seek Houtu’s guidance in the Underworld. He arrived and asked Houtu to explain the mysteries of the Earth Dao, and she agreed.

• Gu Changqing realized his fusion of the Dao of reincarnation and sword arts had failed to reach the power needed to destroy a Saint’s Dao fruit, though it gave him hope for improvement.
• Tongtian comforted Gu Changqing and suggested he visit Houtu in the Underworld to deepen his understanding of reincarnation.
• Gu Changqing traveled to the Underworld and saw how its laws, Six Paths of Reincarnation, and Eighteen Layers of Hell had developed over the ages.
• Houtu welcomed Gu Changqing beneath the River of Destiny, and he asked her to explain the profound mysteries of the Earth Dao.
• Houtu agreed to guide Gu Changqing, though she wondered why he had taken an interest in reincarnation.

Houtu explained the foundations of the Underworld and the mysteries of life, death, and reincarnation to Gu Changqing, who used her guidance to seize the Reincarnation Sacred Hall’s origin and brew it into wine. After drinking it, Gu Changqing unleashed a terrifying aura that left Houtu stunned.

• Houtu transformed their surroundings into the Reincarnation Sacred Hall and explained the Dao of reincarnation and the Earth Dao to Gu Changqing.
• Houtu spoke of a power beyond life, death, and reincarnation, which Gu Changqing pondered while drinking from the Wine God Gourd.
• Gu Changqing formed mudra seals and gathered the origin of the Reincarnation Sacred Hall as Houtu watched without objection.
• Gu Changqing brewed the gathered Underworld origin into wine and poured it into his Wine God Gourd.
• Gu Changqing drank several mouthfuls, and a terrifying aura rose from within him, making Houtu's expression turn grave.

Gu Changqing used the Netherworld's origin and the Wine God's power to form the embryonic Saint-Slaying Method, a technique that could sever a Sage's connection to the Heavenly Dao. Meanwhile, Yuanshi, Laozi, Jieyin, and Zhunti waited outside the Underworld with the Chaos Bead, preparing to kill him when he emerged.

• Gu Changqing drank the Underworld-origin Immortal Brew, releasing an overwhelming aura that suppressed even Houtu's Earth Dao authority.
• Gu Changqing realized that Sages' immortality came from their connection to the Heavenly Dao and that severing it could let him kill them.
• Gu Changqing fused the Underworld's powers of ending and reincarnation with the Wine God's power, forming the embryonic Saint-Slaying Method in his primordial spirit.
• Houtu watched the terrifying aura recede as Gu Changqing smiled, satisfied that he had gained a power capable of threatening Sages.
• Yuanshi, Laozi, Jieyin, and Zhunti gathered outside the Underworld with the Chaos Bead and planned to kill Gu Changqing when he emerged.